Be Safe When By Yourself

This past Saturday night I was out shopping by myself. A blissful time without the kids and Hubby, right? Well, I was at Harmon's Grocery Store. I had gone in, found all of my needed groceries, paid for them, and walked out having had my normal wonderful experience at my favorite grocery store. But while I was putting my groceries into my trunk this man I didn't know was walking towards me. Noticing this, I picked up my keys and wallet (I had placed them in front of me in the back of my car so I could unload) and stepped around to the other side of my cart. Putting it between myself and this man.

When he got to me he asked, "I locked my keys in my car and my wife is down the street at our storage unit and I was wondering if you were headed in that direction?"

(By the way there are NO storage units near this Harmon's location) I told him, "You know you can go inside to the customer information desk and they will let you use their phone to call a locksmith or someone else to come and get you."

He said, "Well, I don't have any money and wasn't sure if they would let me. . ."

I cut him off and said, "The people here at Harmon's are great and I'm sure they will help you out."

He just turned and walked away. I never saw him enter the store. I went home and called to let Harmon's know what had happened so they could watch out for him in case he tried with someone else.

I thought that this guy was pretty ballsy because I was parked 4 cars from the door, under a light, and there were at least 6 people outside within 50 ft of us. Please, please please be careful when out alone at night. Remember to:

1. Be aware of what is going on around you.
2. Park close to the doors of the store or building you are going into.
3. Park in a well lit area.
4. Never take a stranger anywhere, NO MATTER WHAT
5. If you feel the need, ask the manager to have someone walk you to your vehicle.
6. Lock your doors immediately after you are in your vehicle.
7. Report what happened to the store and if needed, to the police.

Be cautious, even if you think you are in the safest place. You just never know.

A Run in at the Park

I just went to the park with a friend of mine (who was kind enough to come pick me up; thank you) and her two little girls. We packed lunch and headed out.

Got to the park. Set up our blanket. Got food out. Fed children. And let them play at the playground. You know, playing with other kids, slides, running around, swings,etc. Oh, wait did I mention the Crazy Lady?

There (kind of out of no where) was an Old lady sitting at the edge of the park. She was sitting with her back towards my friend and I who were on the grass, but still right next to the park. My friends two little girls had been exploring and basically introducing them to other moms and their kids and playing with them all. Then we noticed that they were over by this old lady. We were watching and saw that the youngest girl took a doll from the stroller the lady had. We thought maybe she had taken it away from the baby in the stroller or that the lady's grand-daughter was playing in the park.

My friend gets up to make sure that her little girls aren't bothering the old lady and realizes that there is NO baby in the stroller. She makes her daughter put the doll back and takes them to go play in the park again. Well, the Lady gets up rather quickly and walks across the wood chips with the stroller. ALL while kooing and calming the DOLL. She gets to the cement out of the park and RUNS away. Completely RUNNING.

So, next time you are at the park, BEWARE of the old lady with the stroller and no child. Weird, Crazy old lady.

Maybe I'm being harsh, but it was strange. And you can never be too careful around children.

Safety?

I caught this scene on I-15 last weekend. I couldn't help but laugh at the lady. Everyone has their oppinions about safety. I truely feel that when riding a motorcycle the riders should be in leather and wearing helmets.


I just hope that this lady, and those like her, never have an accident where her body is found next to her unworn helmet. I hope that all of you are practicing safe driving on your motorcycles and peddle bikes. Protect Yourself.

Running Safely

I love to run and it almost kills me to see someone (especially a woman) out running violate some very simple safety guidelines for running. Then I thought, 'maybe they just don't know.' So, I thought that I would share some safety tips I learned from a great book I have been reading, The Complete Book of Running for Women.

#1- Leave Word of your whereabouts. Just let a friend or family member know when you leave, your route, and when to expect you home.

#2- Carry Identification. Info to help any emergency response people know allergies and who to call if you are unconscious.

#3- Avoid "lonely" Roads. It is fun to explore while running. However, taking isolated roads on your run can be very dangerous if you are alone. Take a friend.

#4- Rearrange your Route. Never run the same route multiple days in a row. Don't be trackable by a stalker.

#5- Be Aware. Pay attention to what is going on around you. Do not avoid eye contact with strangers. A person who is going to attack will when they can catch you the most unaware of your surroundings.

#6- Do Not Wear a Headset. I know that many people like to run while listening to music; however, when running out on the street the earplugs you have blasting in your ears are limiting one of your most valuable senses while running. You can't hear cars or people. You are extremely vulnerable. Run on a treadmill with headsets, not outside.

#7- Run in daylight hours. Never run alone between 6pm and 6am.

#8- Don't talk to strangers. I know we all teach our children this principle, but we need to be reminded as well. If someone stops to ask for directions keep your distance and yell the answer to them or just tell them you don't know.

#9- Carry a safety device. Examples) pepper spray, Persuader.

These are great guidelines for running safety and I hope that you remember them the next time you go out for your exercise.